This time around to Lake Toba and Medan is free and easy. I just booked the air tickets via Airasia and the hotel at Medan via GoHoliday. As for the Lake Toba hotel, i followed the advice by a cari forum member which turn out to be very nice and serene.
If anyone is going to Lake Toba, better be prepare for the bumpy journey!! We took a van there via Tobali tours agent which cost us less than RM30/person. DO NOT take this if you are looking for a pleasant and relaxing journey there. The van took 5 hours to reach Parapat (jetty) =_=" and the van is in a bad condition where it has no air con, broken absorber and we were sitting at the back seat!! The road itself i tell ya... is worse than small roads in kampung!
When i finally get myself checked-in to the hotel in Samosir Island, it was almost 4pm. Our hotel room is a suite room with a small living room and front porch, facing directly to the lake... it's soooo beautiful! At least there's something to compensate my lousy journey from medan after all...
We stayed at Samosir island which located within lake Toba itself and the size of the island is as big as Singapore according to lonely planet. Really nothing much to do here but to relax myself. Visited the Batak village which they used to practise cannibalism! wherever i meet batak people there, the first thing they tell me is that they don't eat human anymore... =_="
On the way back to Medan, we rented a mpv. Had enough of the stupid van!!
Medan in contrast is a noisy city, filled with cars, becas, dust.... and car honking everywhere!! They honk when the car in front is slow, when they overtaking, when simply for NO reason at all =_=" If you think traffic here is bad, you haven't been to Medan yet. I shall call it the most notorious traffic i've ever seen.
Here are the photos...
market at medan...filthy...
Kid selling stuff on the street while he ought to be at school...
Toba... paradise
Ancient batak king's cemetry... they were pratising cannibalism untill some ang moh from Holland came to Toba to baptise them as Christians... notice the cross above the traditional grave
traditional batak house... they used to imprison criminals at the basement after trial and later eat em!!
Petrol station @Toba
The ladies were washing clothes and cleaning fishes... and then jump into the lake to take bath! =_="
great place for relaxation =p
lunch @Medan miramar restaurant... nasi goreng special...taste so so only
Plaza Medan Fair... the most crowded among the malls i've visited here
Dinner at local china town street... not nice at all plus overcharged!! RM5++ for this bowl of awful wanton mee >_<
Merdeka walk... similar like our own Bintang walk but i still think bintang rocks!
Plaza Garuda hotel booked via GoHoliday... i still prefer the Toba suite room haha...
Breakfast at hotel sucks!! One of the worst hotel food i've eaten to date >_<
Masjid raya...the oldest mosque at Medan
Maimoon palace...
Apparently the descendants of the royal family still occupy one wing of the palace...not bad eh n_n
The most delicious, yummy, tasty, mouth-watering etc. dessert i've ever had at Medan!! J. Co Doughnut rockssssssssssss!! The only doughnut that can ever compare to Krispy Kreme i had in Bali.
I think it even can even beat starbucks hoho...
Oreo ice-blended...sooooo yummy
Ice chocolate blended... i like my oreo blended better n_n
Had an early dinner at this chinese restaurant located at Hypermart 21 before heading to the airport...
Tired me >_<> in one day!! a record for me =p
Fried ceong funn 炒肠粉... very nice or maybe i was too hungry that time?! hehe...
phew.... loading all the photos is sooo tiresome hehe...
